From Rutgers Hillel Students and Staff:
On Sunday night, October 6th, very realistic-looking “eviction notices” were placed under doors of student residences in apartments buildings and residence halls on College Avenue. They were so real-looking, in fact, that many students were, at first, led to believe that they were being evicted from their place of residence. The notice, a publicity stunt by Students for Justice in Palestine, was distributed to spread propaganda, create confusion, and to gain attention.
SJP’s actions were a blatant violation of the university code of conduct regarding how groups may or may not solicit students on campus. Board members of SJP placed these deceptive notices in 850 student dorm rooms, despite university rules and regulations forbidding them to do so.
Respecting students’ right to privacy and giving them the safe space necessary to be free from solicitation and imposition in their places of residence – a place that many students call their home away from home – is not only a hallmark feature of our university. It is a necessary component to enable and foster the growth of inclusion and diversity within our community.
Making students feel unsafe in their homes is apparently part of the SJP strategy which also includes propagating half-truths, misstatements and historical inaccuracies. The fraudulent “eviction notice” is itself a de-facto example of this reprehensible agenda.
The Rutgers Hillel Center for Israel Engagement was established to foster a positive voice for Israel while defending Israel against slanderous attacks like this. We decry this manipulation and intimidation of students through stunts employed to promote a political agenda.
We hope that our university will work towards making our campuses and students feel safe and free from harassment or intimidation by agenda-driven interest groups, to enable the proper and profound exchange of ideas in a civil and productive manner that fosters greater communication and growth for everyone. Rutgers Hillel looks forward to being a positive contributor to such an environment.